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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. lie — to recline
  3. snap — to click
  4. scale — in music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. file — a tool
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. net — after costs
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. press — newspapers
  16. net — for catching
  17. scale — size or range
  18. net — in sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a line of people
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com